Research

The Department of Computer Science (CS) excels in innovative research, education, and technology transfer. Our research missions transcend the public and private sectors and advance the future of software, hardware and computing. Specific areas of research, associated faculty and labs are noted below.

Algorithms and Complexity

Overview

Efficient algorithm design is critical for the performance of all software systems. Faculty and students in this knowledge area select and design algorithms appropriate to particular purposes. In addition to our theoretical contributions, CS researchers have studied algorithms involves databases, distributed computing, graphics, networking, operating systems, programming languages, and security.

Faculty

Architecture & OS

Overview

This area addresses a broad spectrum of research and development related to computer architecture and operating systems. Our work touches on all aspects of computer systems, both hardware and software. We work on a wide range of topics, including processor design, operating system internals, virtualization, file systems, and networks. We study systems of all scales, from tiny embedded and wearable devices, to mobile and desktop systems, and up to supercomputers and clouds.

Big Data

Overview

Working with big data, researchers study the science, engineering, and technology behind producing and maintaining large data streams. The areas of big data that are studied at SBU incorporate a variety of industries including finance, medical, and science as well as governmental implications of big data. Based on the theory that the big data phenomenon is driven by massive amounts of data in need of powerful, scalable algorithms, researchers face the challenge to control errors and sampling processes.

Faculty

Computational & Systems Biology

Overview

This research area takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of computation and systems-level analysis to resolve critical biological challenges. Researchers in this area focus on several computational and biologic components involving network analysis and reconstruction, modeling, algorithm development and genomic influence.

Faculty

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

Overview

Because it deals with people as well as computational systems, as a knowledge area HCI demands consideration of cultural, social, organizational, cognitive and perceptual issues. Consequently it draws on a variety of disciplinary traditions, including psychology, ergonomics, computer science, graphic and product design, anthropology and engineering. Faculty, students, and researchers focused on parallel computing, architecture, network protocols, wireless and mobile computing, sensor networks and embedded systems.

Information Assurance and Security

Overview

Informational assurance involves research and educational activities that actively address the development of trustworthy information systems and the quality of the information stored on information systems and networks. Researchers work closely with security and computer architecture faculty.

Security researchers at SBU lead one of the top cybersecurity centers in the northeastern United States. The group’s research areas include: language-based security, detection and mitigation of vulnerabilities, trust management, assurance and vulnerability analysis, intrusion detection, storage security, security monitoring and regulatory compliance, and authentication.

Faculty

Information Management

Overview

Information management is concerned with the capture, digitization, representation, organization, transformation of algorithms for efficient and effective access. Researchers explore intelligent information systems that include theoretical and systems work in the areas of databases, stream processing, cloud computing, data integration, and data mining. Products focus on building secure systems, distributed and multimedia databases, social network analysis and ranking data.

AI & Machine Learning

Overview

Developing intelligent, high-performance, and reliable computer systems is fundamental to this group of researchers. Their goals are to build successful computer systems that consider all of the challenges of computer interface, architecture, and learning techniques.

Artificial intelligence (AI) incorporates principles and applications using a variety of “intelligent agents”. AI is the study of solutions for problems that are difficult or impractical to solve with traditional methods. The solutions rely on a broad set of general and specialized knowledge representation schemes, problem solving mechanisms and learning techniques. They deal with sensing (e.g., speech recognition, natural language understanding, computer vision), problem-solving (e.g., search, planning), and acting (e.g., robotics) and the architectures needed to support them (e.g., agents, multi-agents).

Machine learning researchers develop algorithms and systems based on specific computations and theory that improves user data and experience. By analyzing data captured in databases and from data structures, algorithms that track and identify cognitive and user processes are researched. Natural language learning, statistical relational learning, and active learning are some of the areas that explored.

Faculty

Networking and Communication

Overview

Many computing applications that are used today would not be possible without networks. The research interests of the networking group encompasses network measurement, network architectures and protocols, the design and implementation of applications, and systems as well as network performance analysis. Taking an analytical and experimental approach, areas of networking research include storage area networking, energy systems, mobility, social networks, wireless, and resource allocation.

Research in this area includes wireless and sensor networks focused on security, architecture and hardware, access control, signal processing, and data dissemination.

Faculty

Programming Languages

Overview

Programming languages are the medium through which programmers precisely describe concepts, formulate algorithms, and reason about solutions. Programming and software researchers are dedicated to developing software and tools that minimize software errors and improve the human aspects of computing. Focused on end-user programming and software engineering, research thrusts include language design, syntax analysis, programming constructs, open-source, and logic programming.

Faculty

Software Engineering

Overview

The elements of software engineering are applicable to developing software in all areas of computing. Software engineering is the discipline concerned with the application of theory, knowledge, and practice to effectively and efficiently build reliable software systems that satisfy the requirements of customers and users. In addition to engineering, software design involves verification and validation, reliability, tools and environments and formal methods.

Faculty

Smart Energy

Overview

The focus of this research area addresses the challenges of modern power generation through transmission and distribution, to delivery and consumption. Researchers study CS issues related to networking, cybersecurity, modeling of power grids, business and economic aspects of grid systems.

Faculty

Visualization

Overview

Internationally recognized for their work in the Center for Visual Computing at SBU, faculty and students in this area are dedicated to the research, industrial interaction, and education aspects related to digital applications and technology. Visual tools capitalize on human-computer interaction and have resulted in developing the virtual colonoscopy and Reality Deck.

Faculty

Natural Language Processing

Overview

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a branch of computer science that specializes in the communication between humans and computers. More specifically, it deals with the interactions between computers and the language of humans, which can be notoriously difficult to understand. In the middle of the twentieth century, industry pioneers such as Alan Turing began working on algorithms that would allow computers to decipher meaning from human input. Over the decades, this expanded and evolved very rapidly, and today NLP has given us products such as Google and Siri.